Rogue (Book 2) (The Omega Group)

by Andrea Domanski

  Their arrangement was mutually beneficial. She used him for his money and he used her for her talents. It was the only honest relationship Bill had ever had.

  When he saw her sitting at her table, eating her dessert, the knot in his stomach immediately dissipated. For the next hour, at least, there would be no thoughts of Carter.

  “Hey, stranger.” Rosie always greeted him the same way, as though she hadn’t seen him every single week.

  “Thanks for meeting me on such short notice. It’s been a rough couple of days.” Bill sat across from her and waited impatiently as she enjoyed an ice cream sundae. His tapping foot clearly irritated her.

  “All right, I’m done,” she said.

  Bill immediately signaled to the waitress to bring their check. When he reached for his wallet, all he found was an empty pocket. “Dammit. I must have dropped my wallet when I got out of the cab. I’ll be right back.”

  He stood so quickly he almost knocked over his chair. The waitress gave him a strange look as she laid the check on the table, but Rosie just rolled her eyes. As he pushed through the front door he looked over his shoulder. The waitress’s back was to him, but he could see Rosie talking to her like they were old friends.

  The parking lot held several cars but no people were in sight. Bill frantically searched the ground near where the cab dropped him off. His wallet was laid open on the gravel, a fresh tire track marring its leather surface. He scooped it up and headed back inside.

  When he opened the door, he heard familiar voices. His gut once again clenched. They must have come in through the motel. But, why?

  “And you haven’t seen Bill today?” Carter said.

  “Nope. Not today.” Rosie was using her best “I’m innocent” voice.

  Bill held the door open a few inches so he could hear their conversation while staying out of sight.

  “It’s important that we find him, Rosie.” That voice belonged to one of the park rangers. He’d met her several times over the years.

  “Why? Has he done something wrong?” Rosie was playing her role perfectly.

  “He’s wanted for questioning in connection to an attempted kidnapping,” the ranger said.

  “What? Kidnapping? No way. I don’t want any part of that.” Rosie was losing it. Her loyalty to him ran only as deep as his wallet, and that wasn’t very deep. She would give him up any second.

  Bill quietly closed the door and scanned the parking lot. He found what he was looking for—an older model Ford Taurus—and went to work. As a teenager, one of Carter’s wilder friends had given them a crash course in auto theft. Everyone assumed that Bill wasn’t listening, but they were wrong.

  A couple of minutes later he was driving down the highway. Time for plan B.

  Chapter 22

  Carter stared at the parking lot, Ranger Christner at his side. They’d just missed him. Rosie put on a decent show of not knowing where Bill was until, of course, she realized the trouble he was in was far more serious than any solicitation charge she might receive.

  “How did he know we were coming?” Ranger Christner asked.

  “I don’t think he did. It was just dumb luck.” Carter turned to the ranger and said, “Thanks for coming with me. Having local law enforcement around makes things a lot easier.”

  “No problem. Technically rangers aren’t law enforcement, but people tend to forget that distinction.”

  Her casual attitude gave Carter some insight into why Han was so taken with her. “You seem to be handling all of this stuff pretty well, Ranger.”

  “Please, call me Kell. I’ll admit to being more than a little freaked out last night, but I’ve lived at the canyon my whole life. Strange is sort of normal here.” A grin spread across her face. “And it’s nice to finally have proof that you guys can shape-shift.”

  Carter’s expression must have broadcasted his concern because Kell immediately raised her hands, palms out, and said, “You don’t have to worry. Your secret is safe with me. I just meant that it’s nice to finally know I’m not crazy.” Kell paused, looking at him as though trying to gauge his reaction. “You’re not going to lock me away in that hotel room again, are you?”

  Carter laughed. “No, and I’m sorry about that. We just need to be careful.”

  “I get it. Plus, I’m of a lot more use to you out here.”

  Smart girl, Carter thought. “We need to talk to Rosie again. Maybe Bill let something slip during one of their meetings that will help us find him.”

  They returned to the table where the waitress was now clearing dirty dishes. Before he had the chance to ask, she said, “Rosie went back to her trailer. She’s a little freaked out.”

  Kell raised her eyebrows and the waitress handed over a small piece of paper with directions. “I figured you’d be asking,” she said.

  The RV Park was nothing more than a flat rectangle of land, dotted with trailers that covered the spectrum from dilapidated to luxurious. Rosie’s was somewhere in the middle. Other than a couple potted plants that looked to be in desperate need of water, there was nothing at all homey about the place. That’s probably because it’s her workplace, not her home.

  Rosie opened her door with a scowl on her face. “I already told you. I don’t know anything.”

  “We just have a couple of questions for you,” Kell said. “I thought you’d prefer to answer them here rather than at the station. That way we don’t have to file an official report about why Bill was here to see you, and we can just talk like friends.”

  Rosie let out an exasperated sigh and stepped aside to allow them entrance. Kell sat at the small dinner table and motioned for Rosie to join her. Carter leaned against the kitchen counter as he took in his surroundings. The faint smell of artificial lemons told him the trailer was clean if not entirely tidy. There were no family pictures or personal mementos decorating the walls or surfaces, just the basic necessities. He didn’t think they’d find any of Bill’s belongings there.

  “Do you have any idea where he might have gone? Maybe he mentioned some place to you during one of his visits,” Kell said.

  Rosie shook her head. “No. I don’t really know him that well. He doesn’t talk much.”

  Carter’s curiosity got the better of him. “How long has he been seeing you?”

  “About six years now. He’s one of my regulars.”

  Kell clasped her hands together and laid them on the table. “Six years, and you expect us to believe you don’t know anything about him?”

  “He doesn’t exactly pay me for conversation.”

  “Okay,” Carter said, “but anything you can think of might help us. What about his moods? Has he been different over the last few months?”

  Rosie considered the question for a few minutes before answering, giving Carter an odd look that he didn’t understand. “When he first started coming to me he seemed pretty angry. I’m not sure why. I figured it was the typical ‘coming of age’ crap that all young guys go through. But over the last few years he’s gotten a lot better. I think things turned around for him at some point.”

  “What about the last few months?” Kell asked.

  “That’s just it. He’s been fine, happy almost. Look, if you’d come to me six years ago and told me Bill was up to something bad, I wouldn’t have been surprised. He obviously had some problems back then. Now, though, I don’t see it.” Rosie looked at Kell and then at Carter, holding her gaze on him a little bit too long.

  “Is something wrong?” Carter asked.

  “No, sorry. It’s just… you look familiar. Do I know you?”

  Carter noticed a slight flush spreading across Kell’s cheeks. He could only imagine the assumptions she was making. “I grew up around here.”

  “Oh. That must be it then. I never forget a face.” When she looked back at Kell, she grinned mischievously. “Don’t worry, sweetie. He wasn’t a client. I would never forget a guy like him.”

  “I wasn’t worried. Can we get back to Bill, please?”
Kell seemed as uncomfortable with this new line of conversation as Carter was.

  “Sure,” Rosie said. “Like I said, I don’t think he’d be involved in anything illegal, especially now.”

  Both Carter and Kell perked up at that last comment. “What do you mean ‘especially now’?”

  “He’s next in line to become chief of his tribe. They just made it official. It’s what he’s always wanted.”

  Carter looked at Kell. “We need to go. Now.”

  When they got to the car, Carter put the phone on speaker as he and Kell pulled on to the highway. “Myrine, is my father still there?”

  “No. He left right after you did, along with everyone else. Why? What’s going on?”

  Carter’s brow furrowed. “I think he might be in danger. We weren’t able to get to Bill, but he knows were on to him.”

  “I don’t understand. Why would that put your father in danger?” Myrine asked.

  “Bill is next in line to be the Havasupai chief. They’ve already had the ceremony that makes it official. If my father steps down, or something happens to him, Bill automatically takes his place.”

  Kell glanced over at Carter. “But after today, surely the tribe wouldn’t allow that to happen.”

  “That’s the problem,” Carter said. “Once the ceremony is complete, it’s a done deal. If Bill is planning to make a move, he’s going to have to do it quickly, before my father has the chance to officially remove him as his successor.”

  “All right, then. We’ll meet you at the hilltop. I’ll call General Persaud and see if he can help us with transport.”

  Chapter 23

  The hilltop parking lot was only half full, but Carter knew not to waste his time looking for his father. The chief never much liked the outside world and would already be on the trail back to Supai Village. Carter could do nothing but wait for the rest of his team to arrive.

  “Do you want to try and catch up to him on the trail? I’m up for a run if you are.” Kell gave him a concerned look.

  “There’s no point. He’ll be on horseback and going a lot faster than we could on foot. Myrine should be here soon. If she was able to get us a helicopter, we’ll still get there ahead of him.”

  “So, we just sit here. Do you mind if I ask you a question while we wait?”

  Kell looked almost mischievous and Carter knew what was coming next. The ranger saw some crazy things the night before and must have been dying to get the details. She’d shown incredible restraint to wait as long as she did to ask. “Go ahead.”

  “This probably isn’t any of my business, and I’m sorry if I’m overstepping, but I just have to ask.”

  Here we go, Carter thought.

  “Do you know if Han is dating anyone?”

  Carter wouldn’t have been more stunned had she broken out into song. “Seriously? After everything you saw last night, that’s the question you want to ask me?”

  Kell’s warm smile spread across her face as she raised her eyebrows. “Don’t get me wrong. I have a slew of questions about all of that, but a girl has to have priorities.”

  Her attitude was infectious and Carter found himself actually enjoying the conversation. “No, Han isn’t dating anyone.”

  “Good to know. So about all that other stuff…”

  Carter took a deep breath as he tried to find the right words. Myrine would have been the better person to have this conversation, but he was stuck with it. “There are people in this world—preternaturals—who have special abilities. For a really long time we kept to ourselves. Then, a little over ten years ago, some of the bad ones united and the good ones had to do the same. Myrine formed the Omega Group as a way to keep all of the others in check. We have preternaturals from all over the world and we go wherever others are causing problems.” Carter was actually proud of himself for summing it up as well as he did.

  Kell stared at him for a moment, taking it all in, then said, “So, I know that you’re a werewolf—”

  “I’m not a werewolf. I’m a shape-shifter that can change into a wolf. No full moon required.”

  “Sorry. You’re a shape-shifter. What about the others? What can they do?”

  Carter explained each of his team members’ abilities, probably in more detail than he should have. It was nice, for a change, to be able to talk to an outsider about his work. For her part, Kell stayed silent. She didn’t pepper him with questions after every unbelievable statement or question his sanity. She just listened, nodding her head and even laughing occasionally.

  “And that completes our lessons for today, class,” Carter said with a smile.

  “Wow. I don’t even know what to say, and I’m never at a loss for words. It’s all so…”

  “Unbelievable?”

  “No, I was going to say amazing. I’ve always believed there was more out there than met the eye, but to finally meet people like you and see it for myself, is, well, amazing. What are you going to do with me?”

  Carter looked at her, confused. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I’m guessing that people like me aren’t supposed to know about people like you. I do, and that’s probably a complication you can’t have.”

  Carter didn’t answer immediately. He honestly didn’t know what they planned to do about her. There were a few options, none of which she’d like, but he had no idea which way Myrine would go. “I really don’t know.”

  “Okay. I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. So, Mirissa is the teenager, right? And she’s the most powerful one of all of you?”

  Carter laughed. “Yep, and the irony is not lost on any of us.”

  “She did save your ass last night. At least that’s what it looked like to me,” Kell said with a smirk.

  “That wasn’t the first time, but if you ever tell her I said that, I’ll deny every word.” Kell looked like she relished poking fun at him. She and Han are made for each other.

  “Shouldn’t the others be here by now?” She checked her watch, prompting him to do the same.

  Carter hadn’t realized how much time had passed since they started talking. Myrine and the team should definitely have arrived already. Even if they weren’t able to secure a helicopter, the car ride wasn’t that long. Carter pulled out his cell and hit the speed dial. Voice mail.

  He tried Han’s number and got the same result. One by one, he called each member of his team, but no one picked up. “Something’s wrong.”

  “Cell service is pretty spotty around here, so they might just be in a bad area.”

  “We’re using satellite phones. They should be picking up,” Carter said as he searched the sky for a helicopter and the road for incoming cars. He wasn’t sure what to do. It might be nothing. It might be something.

  “I can drive you back to the hotel if you want to check on them,” Kell said.

  Part of him wanted to do exactly that. These were more than just his teammates—they were his friends. “No. If they’re in trouble, there are more than enough of them to handle it. Right now, we need to focus on finding my father. You still up for that run?”

  Kell laid a hand on his shoulder. “You bet. I’ve got water and canteens in the trunk.”

  They hit the trail at a brisk jog. Carter’s ankle was almost healed, but there was no point trying to go any faster as the ground was uneven. Hiking the trail usually took about five hours, but Carter hoped their pace would cut that down considerably. Kell looked to be in great physical shape as she stayed with him stride for stride.

  They passed a few tourists travelling in the opposite direction that looked like they might fall over from exhaustion. People tended to forget that the hike back from the village was uphill and much more strenuous. It didn’t help them to see joggers on the trail barely breaking a sweat.

  “I don’t think they liked us very much,” Kell said with a smirk after skirting around three men trudging slowly upward.

  “Is that what the middle finger salute meant? I thought they were just wa
ving.” Carter took a swig of water. “You doing all right?”

  “I’m good,” Kell said.

  They ran in silence for the next few miles so as to not waste any of their energy. Carter used the time to figure out how he would convince his father of the danger Bill posed. The chief’s tunnel vision was legendary, and he would not easily believe what Carter had to say.

  How could he blame his father? Bill had been his closest friend for over a decade and in all that time, Carter had never seen him as a threat. Granted, once Carter met Gina he’d let their friendship take a back seat, but even when Bill and the rest of the tribe turned against him, he still assumed it was because of his betrayal. It never occurred to him that his best friend might have ulterior motives.

  He couldn’t help but wonder what else he hadn’t seen.

  “This must be killing you.” Kell, sounding winded, interrupted his thoughts.

  “What? My former best friend wanting to kill my father? Yeah, that kind of sucks.”

  “Well, yes, that does suck. But I was talking about having to run all this way in your human form. Wouldn’t it be a lot easier for you, not to mention faster, if you turned into your wolf?”

  The thought had crossed his mind. “Yeah, it would. But in broad daylight, with tourists around and no cover, that’s not an option. Besides, if I shifted, you’d have to carry my clothes, and I’d have to wait for you before entering the village anyways.”

  Kell laughed. “Ooh, I never thought of that little technicality. I can see how it might pose a problem.”

  “You get used to it. I actually wear a small backpack when I shift so my clothes stay with me.”

  “And no one’s ever wondered why a wild animal is running around like he’s on his way to elementary school?”

  Carter shook his head as he laughed along with her. “Again, I tend to steer clear of people. But I guess if someone ever did see me, they’d just assume I ate the third grader the pack belonged to.”